Brisbane, Australia – 16th April 2024– Soda has today promoted Belle Lajoie to the role of Co-CEO of Soda Infrastructure the arm of the Soda Group that develops and invests in hyperscale subsea and terrestrial connectivity projects. Lajoie will join founder and serial Australian technology entrepreneur Bevan Slattery in driving the strategy and operations of Soda Infrastructure, including its subsidiary companies SUBCO and HyperOne, and will also step into the role of Chief Operating Officer (COO) at Soda Group, Australia’s launchpad for innovative digital infrastructure and sustainability.

In her Co-CEO role, alongside Slattery, Lajoie will have her sights set on the build and completion of SMAP, SUBCO’s latest subsea cable project which will connect Sydney, Melbourne (Torquay), Adelaide and Perth with close to 5,000km of new fibre. She will also focus on monetisation and growth of SUBCO’s existing assets, OAC, Indigo West and Central.

“This is a really exciting time for our Infrastructure group and a critical time in the company’s growth. I’m thrilled to co-pilot alongside Bevan, we’ve worked on multiple large scale projects together over the many years we’ve worked together and we will continue to build assets that change the industry. Building SMAP will certainly be our focus, as well as continuing to grow our global network and customer base via our other sub-sea assets,” said Lajoie

Lajoie has worked for Slattery for over 16 years, holding various management and executive positions across Pipe Networks (formerly ASX:PWK), NEXTDC (ASX: NXT), Megaport (ASX: MP1) and Soda Group as well as Non-Executive Director for IntelliHR (ASX:IHR). Her technology and telecommunications experience and professional network is expansive across the multiple projects she has been involved in, ranging from building large-scale, global infrastructure projects to commercial and strategic execution.

“I’m excited to welcome Belle as Co-CEO. Belle is a proven technology leader who has been instrumental in leading the scaling up of multiple businesses that I’ve founded over the years. Together we will be tackling the next stage of growth, starting with SMAP which will be the most advanced, secure and innovative submarine cable built in the country,” said Slattery.

Lajoie’s appointment as COO of Soda and Co-CEO of Soda Infrastructure is effective immediately.